Comedy
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Director Hal Hartley discusses the legacy of his 1990s indie masterpieces
18 Apr 2013
His early films Amateur, The Unbelievable Truth and Simple Men are set for DVD and Blu-ray release
To those who recognise it, the influence of Hal Hartley can be discerned in the work of many a current filmmaker who came to maturity in the 90s, from mainstream comedies through arty Oscar-baiters to the indiest of hipster indies. Though Hartley is too…
The Stoker (Kochegar)
17 May 2013
A stange, dark and clever Russian black comedy with an unexpectedly forceful moral message
Edinburgh’s beloved Filmhouse cinema has chosen an unusual and intriguing curio for its first release as a distributor. Directed by the prolific Alexey Balabanov - known for his unflinching but darkly comic fables of the Russian criminal underworld…
Wrestler, author and 'spoken word artist' Mick Foley delivers tales from inside and outside the ring
16 Apr 2013
The former grappler is touring the UK with his latest spoken word tour
For those who remember Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler, there are fewer sights sadder in showbusiness than a once-great star trying to reclaim their past and ending up making an utter fool of themselves. Mick Foley made sure that this would not be his…
21 and Over
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18 Apr 2013
A lazy and conformist comedy that attempts (and fails) to ape The Hangover's success
Having hit the jackpot with their script for The Hangover, Jon Lucas and Scott Moore attempt to repeat their success with 21 and Over. Sadly, the duo’s directorial debut proves to be a gamble that doesn’t pay off. The night before his big medical…
Scary Movie 5
18 Apr 2013
Lazy, limp and humourless addition to the series
Blame Airplane! It was a fast, funny and inventive piss take of disaster movies. Unfortunately everyone who has tried to rip off the formula in the modern era shoots so low. Admittedly the first Scary Movie (2000) had a few ‘I can’t believe they did…
World premiere of Not Another Happy Ending announced as 2013 Edinburgh International Film Festival closing gala
16 Apr 2013
Programme features romantic comedy starring Karen Gillan plus Richard Fleischer retrospective
The world premiere of Glasgow-set romantic comedy Not Another Happy Ending is set to close the 2013 Edinburgh International Film Festival, which runs from 19th 30 June 2013. Karen Gillan, best-known for her role as Amy Pond in Doctor Who, stars in…
Interview: NYC comedian Judah Friedlander set for 2013 UK dates
15 May 2013
He’s not here to deliver a message. Even if he has a presidential campaign to run
For those familiar with Judah Friedlander from 30 Rock or any number of movies from American Splendor to The Wrestler, you will no doubt picture a slightly doleful-looking dude with much hair, thick glasses and an array of trucker hats. Rather than…
Reginald D Hunter set for 2013 UK tour
15 May 2013
Hitting the trail on the back of fresh controversy
You could say that an extra dollop of spice has been added to Reginald D Hunter’s national tour after a furore that could be described as misguided on almost everyone’s part but the comic himself. When the Professional Footballers Association invited…
Dylan Moran discusses RockNess, stand-up and his next film, Calvary
23 Apr 2013
The Irish comic headlines the comedy stage at RockNess 2013
You’re one of the headliners in the RockNess comedy tent this year – are you much of a festival-goer? I have been over the years – I mean I’ve been to loads of them but it’s generally because I’m on, you know? You can’t really generalise about them…
Billy Liar
19 Apr 2013
John Schlesinger’s classic British New Wave comedy has a warm and light touch
Not many classic films have also enjoyed success as a book, play, sitcom and musical. It’s testament to the timelessness of Keith Waterhouse’s source novel, about a 19-year-old lad who ‘can’t say two words to anybody without telling a lie’, that the…
Gary Delaney tells us what it takes to be a one-liner king
16 Apr 2013
'The first joke is on the bedside table and the second joke is on the toilet, and so on'
While in front of a comedy crowd that could turn at any given minute, a stand-up needs to rely on a solid memory to make sure there are no juicy lulls for a heckler to bite into. When that comedian is a one-line/punchline gagmeister, it’s even more…
Love is All You Need
16 Apr 2013
A syrupy, genre-led romcom-lite starring Pierce Brosnan and Trine Dyrholm
Love, apparently, is all you need, which could be why Susanne Bier has forgotten about nuance, character, wit and candour. Expectations were high for the Danish director of 2010’s Oscar-winning In a Better World, but she has let herself down with this…
Comedian Helen Arney talks geeks and nerds
15 May 2013
The physics graduate/musical comedian is back with her new dream gig
A quick glance at Helen Arney’s June gig list says everything you need to know about the kind of audience she attracts. Among them are Lab Notes and Call My Genetically Engineered Bluff at the Cheltenham Science Festival, while in Scotland she has two…
Jay Lafferty shares her thoughts on her comedy hero Dylan Moran
15 May 2013
Why Moran's Bernard Black is 'the poster boy for the manchild'
I have always had a thing for dark haired, unshaven, slightly dishevelled gents. I'm a big fan of the sardonic drunk who turns up at parties to roll his eyes and make sardonic quips which is why Dylan Moran is not only my comedy hero but something of an…
Eddie Izzard embarks on 2013 UK tour
15 May 2013
Five things you might not know about the comedian
1. If you happened to be dotting around Edinburgh during August in the early 80s, you may have witnessed Eddie Izzard doing some street performing. In 1991, he was nominated for the Perrier (Frank Skinner won) while his links with the festival now are…
Top 5 ex-wrestlers
19 Apr 2013
The Rock, Hulk Hogan and Chris Jericho are among those who have attempted non-wrestling careers
With the dust from Wrestlemania XXIX still settling, and wrestler-turned-writer Mick Foley coming to Edinburgh on April 24 to try out his new persona as a stand-up story teller, The List looks at the top 5 wrestlers who tired of being beaten up for a…
Interview: Robert Newman on latest novel The Trade Secret
18 Apr 2013
Writer also known for stand-up comedy publishes new novel set in 17th Century
Writer Robert Newman – who is perhaps better known for his stand-up comedy - will see his latest novel The Trade Secret hit bookstores this week. Published in hardback by Cargo, and also available in ebook format by Cargo Crate, Newman’s eagerly awaited…
First and last: AL Kennedy interview
18 Apr 2013
Author and comedian on Leo Sayer, chestnut soup and funeral conga lines
First record you ever bought. I can’t recall. Maybe something by Queen. Probably something embarrassing like Showaddywaddy, or Slade. Last extravagant purchase you made. A new suit. They lend confidence. And prevent troubling choices. First film you…
Ben Verth talks about his comedy hero, Peter Richardson
16 Apr 2013
Edinburgh comic Verth reveres the architect behind The Comic Strip club and TV series
My comedy hero is Peter Richardson. 'Who?' I hear you ask. Richardson was the driving force behind London’s Comic Strip club during the early 80s Alternative Comedy boom, and was the main writer and director of, and actor in, its spin-off TV show, The…
'The Comedy Explorers' Alternative Comedy Club' and 'Comedy and Cocktails'
15 May 2013
Jay Richardson talk us through the hot new comedy clubs in Glasgow
The current slow-down in gig attendances, suggesting even comedy isn't recession-proof, puts new nights under pressure to be distinctive. Two ambitious ventures launched in Glasgow recently take diametrically-opposed approaches to persuading punters…
I’m So Excited
18 Apr 2013
Pedro Almodóvar returns to the brassy style of his earlier films
The new comedy from beloved Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar begins with a message assuring us that the film ‘is fiction and fantasy, and has no connection to reality’; a provocation to assume the opposite is true if ever there was one. But while there…
Bernie
18 Apr 2013
Jack Black and Shirley Maclaine star in this nicely-mounted but ultimately oddly bloodless comedy
We’re all familiar with the clear-cut outrage that follows a heinous crime perpetrated by a dark, twisted monster against a dewy innocent – but what if it’s the other way round? What if someone hugely popular does something terrible to someone widely…
Interview: Bill Bailey talks about his latest show, Qualmpeddler
16 Apr 2013
'It's about reflecting ideas and thoughts that float about in an intangible way'
A press release for a Bill Bailey tour is often more entertaining than some comedians’ entire stage careers. There’s no way that this ‘Swiftian satirist,’ the archetypal hippie materialist and owner of a Dandelion Mind did not have a hand in publicity…
Jo Caulfield presents... The Speakeasy - Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh, Tue 9 Apr 2013
16 Apr 2013
This spoken word/comedy evening presents a more easy-going, relaxed alternative to stand-up shows
‘They don’t like this kind of thing on a Friday night at Jongleurs.’ It’s a statement that could apply to just about every act on The Speakeasy bill, but it’s spoken by Andrew Learmonth, a comedian who has just revealed the story of his prematurely-born…
Five things you might not know about Micky Flanagan
16 Apr 2013
The Cockney comic has lived past lives as a fish monger, dish washer and teacher
1 His first full-time job was as a stand boy in Billingsgate fish market where he boiled and measured various types of shellfish, earning the fairly serious sum of £250 a week. He later washed dishes in New York and went into teacher training but was…
